1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to weighing devices for determining the number of calories in a combination of food components in a single operation. The invention is related to the calorie counting device disclosed in Ash application Ser. No. 505,622 filed Sept. 13, 1974, now abandoned.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Obesity is one of the major health problems in our society today. It is estimated that thirty million Americans are overweight. Obesity is associated with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, gall stones, arthritis, gout and menstrual abnormalities. In addition, social stigmata and decreased self-image accompany obesity.
With these facts in mind, Americans have become quite diet conscious and it is estimated that thirty percent of the American public attempts some sort of calorie control each year. A variety of diets have been generated in which the number or types of food are restricted, or food is exchanged within food groups of similar caloric content.
One method of calorie counting is presently accomplished by generally estimating the size of food, for example, a piece of steak 1/4".times.2".times.3" or a medium-sized chop, or a small tomato or a large celery stalk approximately eight inches long, before looking up the number of calories therein in a book listing the calories in the common foods. This method of calorie counting is inherently inaccurate due to the estimate required and is time consuming and tedious due to the requirements for looking up each separate food in a calorie listing book.
More accurate calorie counting methods include measurement of weight or volume of food and multiplication by caloric content, as described in various publications. All of these methods have severe limitations in practice. Measurement of food by volume is cumbersome, inaccurate and somewhat messy. Furthermore, since recent studies have shown that fifty percent of American meals are eaten out of the home, proper diet control has to be flexible enough to incorporate and estimate calorie content of foods when eating out.
There have, of course, been many prior attempts to weigh calories and foods. However, a specific advantage of this invention is the fact that an entire meal can be placed on any plate as it normally would be and then the total caloric content of the meal may be determined. The only non-normal procedure that must be followed is that the food must be placed in predetermined positions on the plate, which is really not a major inconvenience. This method is, of course, more efficient, more accurate and more convenient than previous methods such as those described in Novak U.S. Pat. No. 3,382,941, Porter U.S. Pat. No. 3,387,676 and Carlsson U.S. Pat. No. 2,314,387. German Pat. No. 2,114,451 discloses an arrangement in which the caloric content of various types of foods may be obtained. However, in this arrangement a series of separate individual containers and scales are provided, one for each food having a specific percent calorie content.